Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Certificates

The Clean Energy Standard requires utilities and other load serving entities (LSEs)load serving entities (LSEs) –
These are often called utilities or electric companies, but LSEs include any entity or organization: utilities, municipal electric systems and electric cooperatives, authorized or required to supply energy or energy-related services to retail customers. to help New York meet its clean energy and climate goals by requiring the purchase of renewable energy credits and zero emissions credits. In a similar vein, the Offshore Wind Standard will help achieve the State’s nation-leading climate and energy goals using offshore wind renewable energy certificates (ORECs).

An OREC represents the environmental attributes associated with one megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity generated from offshore wind resources and consumed by retail customers in New York State. ORECs will provide financial support for investments in offshore wind energy and stimulate the development of the State's offshore wind industry.

NYSERDA will purchase ORECs from eligible offshore wind developers and resell them to the LSEs to meet their obligations under the Offshore Wind Standard. The portion of ORECS purchased by each LSE will be proportional to the amount of electricity provided by the LSE in a year (in regulatory terms, ORECs obligations will be proportional to load served in a given compliance year).

NYSERDA and all LSEs will complete OREC agreements for the first phase of offshore wind energy development, although actual payments will not commence until the contracted offshore wind projects begin to generate ORECs.

Offshore Wind

NYSERDA is leading the coordination of offshore wind opportunities in New York State and is supporting the development of 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy by 2035 in a responsible and cost-effective manner. Offshore wind will be a crucial step on the pathway to a carbon-neutral economy as Governor Andrew M. Cuomo proposed in his Green New Deal, a nation-leading clean energy and jobs agenda. Offshore wind will support the Governor’s call for 70 percent of New York’s electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030.